In Praise of “Letters to My Oldest Friend”
Like many God-inspired poets of India’s Bhakti or devotional past (Mirabai and Chandidas come easily to mind), Janavi Held–writer, photographer, cineaste, observer of small miracles—chronicles the arrhythmia of a heart in love with Divinity. Letters to My Oldest Friend is a revelation. In elegant, spare verse and contemplative visual imagery, she gently cautions that we…
Broken
Broken Too fragile for animation, sentience, breathing. Inside walls of bones everything shatters, infinitely. A discovery of old roots traps my present tense heart which weighs a burden of foul words. It has known too much- it breaks at night and smiles brashly to the daylight not showing its broken curves. And that scale, sinking…
Hammond House’s 2017 INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZE: Both of my entered poems where short listed. The theme of the competition was ETERNAL
Some months ago I entered 2 of my poems into Hammond House’s 2017 INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZE. The theme of the competition was ETERNAL Both of my poems where short listed. You can pre-order a copy of the anthology created with all the winning and shortlisted poems here: https://www.hammondhousepublishing.com/2017-competition-results To see the list of winners https://www.hammondhousepublishing.com/online-store/ETERNAL-Award-Winning-Poetry-p97059266 For…
Review by Anita Neilson
Letters to My Oldest Friend by Janavi Held (Goodreads Author) Anita Neilson‘s review Nov 04, 2017 This is simply glorious. The words flow gently across the page in a waterfall of despair and hope, grief and faith, pain and joy. Together with beautifully crafted photographs of the natural world, it is a wonderful, precious undertaking.…
Hide a book day with The Book Fairies!
#Goodreads is celebrating its tenth anniversary and today is #hideabookday! They have gotten together with The Book Fairies, who have been hiding books all over the world! I had my own personal book fairy Karen R Tarnower take two copies of my recently published book of poetry and photography and hide them. I hope they…
Memory
I’ve walked so far and gotten nowhere. I contain endless memories yet I own nothing. My heart knows the falling out the falling down the falling away it remembers breaking and dreams of ascending and the endless labors which daily life is famous for. Titanic, lying memories forfeiting time lay in shards at my…
“Letters to My Oldest Friend” now available as an ePub
Apple iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/letters-to-my-oldest-friend/id1273048675?mt=11 For Wholesale Inquires, review copies and author interview please contact: letterstomyoldestfriend@laflor.dk Watch the book trailer:
Read more “Letters to My Oldest Friend” now available as an ePub
I wish I had Wings
I wish I had wings I’d leave this prison of gravity behind and go up and up grazing the tops of dazzling green trees swaying in the wind I’d soar through the mists of bright clouds breathing in freedom and moist particles of fog and rain I’d turn my face to the sun warm warming…
The Land
The land- she does not know ownership nor boundaries languages nor skin moving where she will inside or out of our impositions she takes the sun from all corners and the rain from all directions. ~ Janavi Held © 2017
Time Unhinged
Video with spoken poetry below Time Unhinged Dreamt of exterminated images, and forgotten doubts, of unhinged time with the hollow of silent bones thundering in the wake of restless flowers. Blinded by a vigilant morning I enter the mists of loneliness seeking laughter and daydreams (to counter the emptiness) too long for counting these…
Excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel speech
“Yet, in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually.…
Review of “Letters to My Oldest Friend”
Review of “Letters to My Oldest Friend: a book of poetry and photography by Janavi Held How many of us have had or taken the chance to dialogue with our soul, our maker, the deep slope of annihilation? Every poem and photograph in “Letters to My Oldest Friend” is such a dialogue. Inspired by her…
Washing windows
Washing windows must see the air as it whips through trees under birds wings. ~ Janavi Held © 2017
It’s raining
It’s raining I sit where I love to be in the half light melting into the starving earth leaves glow mirrors reflect everything I think I see. ~ Janavi Held © 2017
“Letters to My Oldest Friend” is now available on Amazon
Purchase now on Amazon Reviews In praise of Letters to My Oldest Friend Like many God-inspired poets of India’s Bhakti or devotional past (Mirabai and Chandidas come easily to mind), Janavi Held—writer, photographer, cineaste, observer of small miracles—chronicles the arrhythmia of a heart in love with Divinity. Letters to My Oldest Friend is a revelation.…
Read more “Letters to My Oldest Friend” is now available on Amazon
Monsoon Dreams
Monsoon Dreams Bleached and tattered bark of tree leaves mired in wild wind endless sights of fragrant meadows transparence filtering flying pollen and wet laden clouds with white and gray monsoon dreams inside atoms resides the restless Master playing in a forest of His own making. Janavi Held © 2017 My book of poetry…
“Letters to My Oldest Friend” is now available on Amazon in hardcover & the softcover is available for pre-order
Purchase now on Amazon Reviews In praise of Letters to My Oldest Friend Like many God-inspired poets of India’s Bhakti or devotional past (Mirabai and Chandidas come easily to mind), Janavi Held—writer, photographer, cineaste, observer of small miracles—chronicles the arrhythmia of a heart in love with Divinity. Letters to My Oldest Friend is a revelation.…
Divine Names
Divine Names Your divine Names wander into my words my open mouth drinking that temptation is utterly fed here sitting under another spring sky. We have been together for so long yet, during the cold, wet winter I forgot to be happy forgot the feeling of Your warm air on my skin and how Your…
Look a Little Harder
Look a Little Harder For value in the heart underneath the skin in the eyes bright the designs clouds make at the love even if it’s far at the moon sliver, at the way the light rises at dawn look a little harder the love is there perhaps under a mossy rock in the churning…
Flooding
Flooding Within the shadowy waters of illusion I built thick castle walls sunken deep in those hazy waters my heart froze and slept for eons. Awakened from this deep sleep of ignorance by a flood of Your liberating monsoon rain You’ve opened the sky in my heart and the walls of my fortress are a…
Out on This Natural limb
Out on This Natural limb On the ends of wind-waving branches I build my residence watching all manner of creatures grow into living the fragrance of the wind carrying pollen and ozone feeds my inner ocean as long fingers of sunlight reach the vast expanse of my seeing. Out on this natural limb I…
